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Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Hyundai will launch a new internet car shopping scheme in 2017 called Click To Buy, which will allow customers to purchase a brand new car completely over Hyundai’s website.

It means no weekend trips to the showroom and no endless haggling – you’ll be able to buy a brand new, personalized car straight from the internet.

Streamlining the buying process down to a few clicks means the long drawn-out process of buying a brand new car can be done in just five minutes, or so claims the manufacturer.

Hyundai pledges that those who use the new scheme won’t be short changed either – all prices will be fixed, but it’s promised that they’ll be competitive and comparable with those you'd get by visiting a dealer.

After you've bought it, your new car can be delivered to your local dealer for collection or sent straight to your home for a fee, meaning it’s possible to complete the entire transaction without having to step onto the forecourt. This is only for cash buyers though – buying through a finance package will require a trip to the dealership.

If you’d like to buy through part-exchange, Click To Buy will give you a quote for your old car. Buying on finance means you’ll have to pop into a dealership to hand your old car over, but buy outright with cash and your old car will be collected straight from your home.

The Hyundai Click To Buy website will launch on 6 January 2017, and will feature the i10, i20, i30, Tucson and Santa Fe. More models will be added throughout 2017.

The scheme follows on from Hyundai’s unconventional Rockar dealerships. These small UK showrooms are located in shopping centres and are kitted out with touchscreen tablets – not cars and crowds of salespeople - to make the process of buying a new car a fully digital experience.

Monday, November 28, 2016

The Hyundai Tucson is going to have to move over to make room for a smaller SUV, along with changes to the Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport. The two latter vehicles will differentiate from the other.

The CEO of the North American branch of Hyundai was talking at the LA Auto Show and said that the change up was to better suit the taste of shoppers in the US. He went on to say that consumers are typically confused about the five seater Sport and the Santa Fe.

The Santa Fe is to become an eight seat crossover, while the Sport version is going to take on a look that is more rugged and it will take on vehicles from Jeep. The Santa Fe Sport is also going to have a change of name and while the Hyundai Tucson still plays a role in the line-up, it isn’t going to changed drastically.

Hyundai is also introducing a B-segment crossover and this is expected to arrive by 2018 and will compete with the Honda HR-V along with the Jeep Renegade. Even further into the future will come a smaller A-segment crossover and this should arrive by 2020.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

You won’t recognize Hyundai’s crossover lineup after the automaker’s potentially lucrative product revamp. Giving crossover-hungry buyers more of what they want, Hyundai plans to add two new models and re-position three existing models to better battle rivals in red-hot segments. Expect a name change for one well-known model and growth spurts for others.

Speaking to Automotive News at last week’s Los Angeles Auto Show, Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski spelled out the automaker’s plan to cover all of its crossover bases by 2020.

“It’s not just adding new vehicles, it’s doing a better job of positioning a family of CUVs,” said Zuchowski. The first new addition to the family — a subcompact crossover — arrives in early 2018. That model joins a fast growing segment populated by the likes of the Honda HR-V, Toyota C-HR, Mazda CX-3, Chevrolet Trax and upcoming Ford EcoSport.

An A-segment crossover arrives some time after that, though there isn’t much detail to go on. Hyundai doesn’t sell an A-segment vehicle in North America, though it does overseas. We’ll wait to see if the automaker taps the i10 city car as a platform.

Big changes are in store for the brand’s existing crossovers. The compact Tucson will grow slightly while retaining its styling direction, but the Santa Fe Sport and its bigger brother will both emerge from the operation with new identities.

The Santa Fe Sport is due to grow in size and take on a more rugged look — a move clearly targeting Jeep — while the Santa Fe grows into an eight-passenger model and ditches its name.

Zuchowski said that too much confusion exists around those two models. He didn’t say if the Santa Fe Sport would drop the “Sport” or what moniker we can expect from its range-topping stablemate.

“As we’ve said, product is the lifeblood of any brand,” Zuchowski said. “If that’s true and I believe it’s true, we feel pretty good about what we’ve got in the pipeline.”

Monday, November 21, 2016

"It's a game changer for us," Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski told Automotive News. "It's not just adding new vehicles, it's doing a better job of positioning a family of CUVs."

Hyundai will add two small crossovers at the entry-level end of its range, beginning with a B-segment scheduled to go on sale in 2018. It would then be followed by an even smaller A-segment vehicle.

On the opposite end of the size spectrum, the Santa Fe will become a true 8-passenger full-size crossover and adopt a new name to avoid confusion between the Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport. The latter will also get bigger but will "and adopt a more rugged persona akin to a Jeep," says Automotive News. Finally, the Tucson will hold down the middle of the range while growing slightly in size.

Hyundai hopes to have the lineup in place by 2020, which is also the deadline Hyundai has put into place for is plan to offer 14 green vehicles in its range. Many of the green options will overlap with the new crossover offerings as generational redesigns are introduced.

Friday, November 18, 2016

Hyundai has announced the introduction of the Autonomous Ioniq concept. The announcement came at a press conference preceding the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show. The Hyundai concept vehicle is one of the few self-driving cars in development to have a hidden LiDAR system in its front bumper instead of on the roof, which the company says makes it look “like any other car on the road and not a high school science project.”

Hyundai explained that the goal of the autonomous Ioniq concept was to keep the self-driving systems as simple as possible. To that end, this concept car’s smart cruise control’s forward-facing radar and lane-keep assist cameras are integrated with LiDAR technology. The hidden LiDAR system also allows the Autonomous Ioniq to detect the absolute position of surrounding vehicles and objects. Hyundai is also developing its own autonomous vehicle operating system, which the automaker says will require less computing power than competing systems, thus providing an affordable platform.

In addition to the forward-facing radar, features of the Autonomous Ioniq include a 3-camera array that detects pedestrian proximity, lane markings, and traffic signals; a GPS antenna to determine the precise location of each vehicle; high-definition mapping data from Hyundai MnSoft; and a blind-spot detection radar. These features build upon the capabilities of the production Ioniq, which offers automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, smart cruise control, lane-departure warning, and rear cross-traffic assist. The vehicle also incorporates all autonomous controls into existing systems, to ensure a seamless transition from active to self-driving modes, Hyundai says.

Hyundai plans to debut two Autonomous Ioniqs at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, where the cars will be found driving on the streets of Las Vegas, demonstrating their ability to handle heavy pedestrian traffic, school zones, traffic control signals, construction zones, road blocks, speed bumps, unrestrained pets, children, uncontrolled intersections, and high-accident areas such as shopping centers.

Hyundai is currently testing three autonomous Ioniq vehicles and two Autonomous Tucson Fuel Cell vehicles at Hyundai Research and Development Center in Namyang, South Korea.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Earlier this week we reported that it looks like Hyundai is moving away from fuel cell hydrogen in its zero-emission vehicle development, the Korean automaker further demonstrated it yesterday by announcing its plans for “14 new alternative-fuel models” with most of them being electric.

Hyundai CEO Dave Zuchowski confirmed that the company is planning to release five hybrids (HEV), four plug-in hybrids (PHEV), four electric vehicles (BEV) and one fuel cell vehicle (FCV) by 2020.

That’s the biggest commitment to electrification made by Hyundai so far – especially the four all-electric models.

Though it looks like the new IONIQ, which is offered as an HEV, PHEV and BEV, is being counted among those 14 models since Zuchowski was referring to vehicles being offered in the US and the IONIQ hasn’t arrived yet.

Hyundai is feeling the pressure from upcoming stricter CAFE and ZEV targets, but the CEO says that the company is serious about not only meeting those target, but also beating them with longer range batteries at lower costs. Automotive News reports:

Missing the targets could mean as much as $125 million in annual CAFE and ZEV fines for Hyundai. But rather than seek alternatives to those targets, Zuchowski is focused on creating alternative fuel Hyundai models that not only meet the standards, but do so with vehicles that solve current green car shortcomings: cost, battery range, utility and performance.

Hopefully, we will start seeing some investment in battery capacity from Hyundai soon and some new EV models.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

It's no fun starting your commute by going at your car with an ice scraper on a frosty morning. If you own a 2016 Hyundai, you won't have to -- at least if you have an Amazon Echo at home. The car-maker has baked Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant into its Blue Link connected car app. This means you can start your car, and set the temperature (among other things) from the warm embrace of your comforter using just your voice starting today.

Hyundai isn't the first to think about connecting its cars to Amazon's smarthome kit. Back at CES in January, Ford announced it'd be integrating Alexa with its SYNC platform. That still hasn't come to pass, though. Hyundai still isn't technically the first, with its own luxury Marque -- Genesis -- adding the same functionality back in August. At least now, those of us without the budget for a G80, or G90 can get in on the action.

What can you do from the driver's seat of your new Hyundai? Most of the things you'd imagine, which include starting/stopping your car, setting the climate control, lock or unlock the doors, toggle the lights, or even set off the horn (for scaring the bejeezus out of the mail carrier, we assume). There's no option to locate your car right now, but Hyundai tells us that's in the works. If you're familiar with Blue Link, you'll know that much of this functionality is already in the app, Hyundai's just adding in another layer of convenience.

You'll need to be a paying user of Blue Link of course, which costs $99 a year, but if you are, you're good to go starting today. Hyundai says that all 2017 vehicles will be compatible, and most of its 2016 lineup too. There are even a few 2015 models that will get the feature too, so be sure to check to see if your car made the cut.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Here in North America we’re pretty wrapped up in hype over the impending Los Angeles Auto Show, Baja 1000 and political discourse so the Hyundai Creta STC almostsnuck past me. Almost.

This little trucklet dropped at the Sao Paulo Motor Show in Brazil, and hey, isn’t it just like the Santa Cruz we saw in Detroit last year?

While both vehicles are basically “compact-car-with-pickup-bed” the Santa Cruz felt a little more abstract while the Creta STC here seems fairly grounded in Hyundai’s current lineup. Well, maybe if you look past gleam of the 21-inch rims.The Creta has already been on sale as a little SUV in India and other global markets. This “STC” (Sport Truck Concept) pretty much just lops the back off the existing vehicle.

Indian Autos Blogsaw the car up close and must have gotten a better briefing than I was able to find, because they’re detailing that the STC is about 15-inches longer, 3-inches wider and sitting on an extra 8-inches of wheelbase than the standard Creta. Though Hyundai has not said anything about engines or drivetrains, apparently.

The bed provides about 30 cubic feet of storage space, measuring about 50 inches in length, 50-inches in width and 20-inches in height.

The current Creta is about 168-inches long and is available with a selection of sub-2.0-liter engines and automatic and manual transmissions. For your context, it’s significantly smaller than the U.S.-market Hyundai Santa Fe SUV which stands at 193-inches long.

The highest-trim Creta, with a 1.6-liter engine and automatic transmission lists at about $22,000 in an Indian area like Goa. The Creta STC does not seem to have been promised for production, but I guess it would be priced around there if it ever were to hit the market.

Now that Hyundai is teased us with not one but two truly “small” pickup-style vehicles, I’m starting to feel like putting one into production is looking likely. As for whether it will come to the U.S. is another story.

Friday, November 11, 2016

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 1, 2016 – Hyundai revealed its new, limited-production NIGHT model at the 2016 SEMA show in Las Vegas. This new offering for the popular Tucson CUV appeals to customers that value a distinctive new blackout monotone attitude that expresses their own individuality. “Our new NIGHT model attracts those who already appreciate the striking styling of the Tucson and want something just a little more to set them apart—the exclusive black RAYS® wheels with the panoramic roof combine for high appeal, inside and out,” said Trevor Lai, manager, Product Planning, Hyundai Motor America. The Night model goes on sale in late 2016 and pricing will be announced with dealership availability.

Tucson achieves this black monotone appearance by adding the following combination of special features to standard Tucson Sport model content:

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Most automotive campaigns have a presence on social media. Many use digital channels to conduct promotional campaigns. Hyundai used hacking to conduct a social media campaign that was truly eye-catching and created tremendous impact.

We all love quizzes on social media, though we may not always like to admit it. Hyundai used this penchant of social media users to take quizzes to its advantage to conduct a highly effective promotional campaign on Instagram. Hyundai commissioned Innocean USA to hack into Instagram and conduct a quiz in which Instagram users were asked a series of questions based on their lifestyle. Starting at the Instagram handle, Hyundai quiz start, using the “tag” feature they were taken through 18 separate Instagram accounts having as many as 400 images while they answered queries regarding their favorite pastime during the weekend and their favorite time of the day.

When they came to the end of the quiz, they would scroll horizontally to find an answer that matched them with the Hyundai SUV that best matched their needs based on their answers to the lifestyle questions. Depending on their preferences, they would see that their lifestyle matched with a Santa Fe, a Santa Fe Sport or a Tucson. Hyundai also ran a similar campaign on Twitter aimed at those who are not on Instagram.

Monday, November 07, 2016

Over the years, I have watched as Hyundai has crept up on the competition and with a stealth approach it has continued to put the brand at the top of the “best of” lists. I believe it will be no different for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe with refreshed styling in the front and back, an impressive seven-inch touch screen, and even on the base trim, there have been some impressive safety additions added.

The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe offers one of the best packages for the price than any other model in its category with the competition including the Chevrolet Traverse, Mazda CX-9, Toyota Highlander and the Honda Pilot.

The trim levels for this six to seven-passenger midsize SUV crossover include the base SE, Limited, SE Ultimate or the Limited Ultimate.

On the SE, you get 18-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, heated mirrors on the outside, tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, roof rack side rails, rear spoiler and dark-tinted rear privacy glass. There are also sliding 40/20/40-split bench seats in the second row and two passengers can sit in the third-row seats. For technology, there is Bluetooth, a seven-inch touch screen, Hyundai’s Blue Link system, rearview camera, six speakers and satellite/HD radio.

Up a level on the Limited model, you get exterior mirrors with turn signals, leather seats, LED taillights, keyless ignition and entry, a hands-free rear liftgate, blind-spot and lane departure warning and second-row captain’s chairs.

The SE Ultimate and Limited Ultimate offer 19-inch alloy wheels, an eight-inch touch screen, panoramic sunroof, keyless entry and ignition, heated and air-conditioned front seats and heated second-row seats and steering wheel. There is a 360-degree camera, rear parking sensors and a navigation system with an Infinity surround-sound audio system.

There are two optional packages for the Santa Fe and one is a Premium package for the SE that adds the SE Ultimate goodies and LED fog lights, a window sunshade and a USB outlet in the third row.

The optional package for the SE Ultimate or Limited Ultimate is called Ultimate Tech and with that you get adaptive xenon headlights and cruise control, automatic high-beams and safety extras like automatic emergency braking and lane departure.

Under the hood, the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe has a six-speed automatic transmission with a 3.3-liter V6 engine with 290 horsepower and 252 pound-feet of torque. There is a choice of front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive on all the trim level options.

Safety is strong on the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe with features including antilock disc brakes, traction and stability control, front seat side and side curtain airbags, front seat head restraints, a rearview camera and the Blue Link Hyundai emergency system with emergency assistance and theft recovery.

There are the additional safety features on the higher trim levels like rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring and lane departure warning and frontal collision mitigation.

Inside the 2017 Santa Fe, you will find comfort coupled with high-end materials that won’t go unnoticed. Nor will the overall interior design with easy to use controls, including not only the buttons and knobs, but also the touch screen features.

There are comfortable second row sliding and reclining seats, but the third row seats are not quite as roomy. You get 80-cubic-feet of space when all the rows are folded down. With the third row down, it is 41-cubic-feet of cargo space or with all the rows in use you get just 13.5-cubic-feet in the back.

The driving experience behind the wheel of the Hyundai Santa Fe is comfortable and solid there is no doubt about it. Taking the curves with excellent handling in this crossover SUV is not only about comfort, but also control. The engine arouses in the driver that certain poise that is necessary for a superb driving experience and since there is never any question if you are in complete control the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe shines on all the essential levels that the driver expects.